Micah Toll

Electric scooters aren’t usually the first thing that comes to mind when you think of front-line military equipment. But in Ukraine, a unique class of rugged, high-powered electric scooters is quietly carving out a role in modern warfare.

Vietnamese EV maker VinFast is setting its sights on a major new frontier: India’s massive two-wheeler market. After already laying groundwork for its electric car business in the country, the company is now preparing to launch a lineup of electric scooters as part of a broader push into India’s fast-growing EV sector.

Lectric eBikes is officially rolling into Canada, setting the stage to shape the future of cycling north of the border.

Swedish electric boat maker Candela has just unveiled its latest vessel, the P-12 Business, and it’s aiming to do something that’s long felt overdue: make getting to your destination on the water just as enjoyable as the destination itself.

The new ferry builds on Candela’s already impressive P-12 platform, but adds a premium, business-class interior designed for high-end transport routes like resort transfers and urban commuter links. And if you’ve ever stepped off a smooth flight only to be tossed into a loud, wave-slamming speedboat to reach the last leg of your coastal adventure, you’ll immediately understand the problem Candela is trying to solve. 

The Los Angeles Fire Department is adding a new tool to its emergency response arsenal, and it’s not your typical fire truck. The department is rolling out 30 new ERidePro electric motorcycles designed to serve as fast, highly mobile medical response units.

VinFast is making a bold push to electrify two-wheeled transport in Vietnam, with plans for a nationwide expansion of its electric scooter lineup alongside an ambitious battery swapping network that could reshape how riders think about charging.

After spending some time riding and testing the Navee XT5 Pro electric scooter, I came away with a pretty clear impression: this thing is unapologetically built for speed, comfort, and stability, but not portability. And I’m okay with that – so long as you know what you’re signing up for.

A new bipartisan bill introduced in Congress could finally establish a long-missing federal framework for regulating electric bikes and similar micromobility devices in the US.

This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes new electric bicycles from brands like Ride1Up and Heybike, plus comeback stories from Juiced Bikes and Rad Power Bikes, a look at how the answer to high gas prices might have been parked in the corner of your garage this whole time, and more.

I’m very much among those who believe “the correct number of e-bikes to have is N+1”. But I’m also a realist (and one who knows that happy wife equals happy life), and so I recognize that we often have to make do with the bike we have. And it was in that vein that I thought it’d be fun to take a city-focused electric bicycle on an off-road trip to see how it would handle. I wanted to show, or perhaps just prove to myself, that my everyday beater city e-bike could perform where you might think a dedicated electric mountain bike or fat tire e-bike would be a necessity.

And if I’m being completely honest with myself, I wound up in a bit over my head. But all is well that ends well, and here I am the next day, slightly sore, but still able to type it out.

Many states across the US have spent the last several years promoting electric bikes as a climate solution. California, one of the leaders in e-bike adoption in the US, has funded rebate programs, invested in bike infrastructure, and championed e-bikes as a way to reduce car trips and cut emissions. At the same time, however, another trend has emerged: a sharp increase in youth ridership – and with it, a growing number of complaints about unsafe riding.

Now, some lawmakers in states with high e-bike usage are proposing something that would have sounded unthinkable just a few years ago: license plates for e-bikes.

Spend enough time in the e-bike world, and you’ll start to notice something strange: a huge amount of how we regulate micromobility comes down to one simple question – does it have pedals? That might have made sense a decade ago, but today it’s starting to look increasingly outdated.

And to be clear, this isn’t about whether having pedals is a requisite for being considered an electric bicycle. It surely is. Rather, I think the bigger question here is this: Should it even matter?

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a stark warning to riders of the Ridstar Q20 and Q20 Pro electric bikes, urging owners to stop using them immediately due to a serious fire risk. But in a troubling twist, the manufacturer has refused to cooperate with a recall.

Honda’s upcoming WN7 electric motorcycle may have just picked up a prestigious Gold iF Design Award, but the real story here is more than the accolades it’s what the bike represents for the future of mainstream electric motorcycles from legacy manufacturers.

There’s a growing push in the US to rethink what a “car” really needs to be, as more Americans than ever embrace alternatives from e-bikes to golf carts, among other car alternatives. Wink Motors is the latest company betting that smaller, slower, and cheaper might actually be the smarter answer for a lot of drivers.

But Wink has a different approach, focusing on those who want to retain the benefits of a traditional car without all the extra cost or hassle.

SUPER73 is back with a major shake-up to its lineup. The Southern California-based electric bike brand has just unveiled its all-new A-Series, a collection of redesigned models that signal a shift toward more practical, commuter-friendly machines while still leaning into the company’s signature moto-inspired styling.

Iceland isn’t exactly known for doing things the easy way. Between volcanic terrain, unpredictable weather, and long stretches of rugged wilderness, it’s the kind of place that tends to shape products around necessity rather than excess.

And that philosophy is exactly what shows in Lauf Cycles’ newest launch: the company’s first-ever electric mountain bike, the eElja.

Electric hydrofoiling boat maker Candela just pulled off something that’s getting harder to do in today’s climate tech landscape: raise a significant new round of funding – and do it while the rest of the sector is cooling off.

Velotric is taking a notable step into the growing lightweight e-bike segment with the launch of its new Tempo, a city-focused electric bike designed to feel much closer to a traditional bicycle than most of today’s heavier commuter models.

Electric propulsion has already transformed the way we ride bikes on land, and now the same idea behind e-bikes is quietly reshaping how we get around on the water. Electric kayaks are bringing a similar concept to the water, making marine excursions more accessible than ever.

Aventon has just unveiled its latest electric mountain bike, the new Current, bringing a full-suspension eMTB platform to the company’s lineup that blends trail-ready performance with the connected tech features Aventon has been steadily building into its bikes. Continuing with Aventon’s modus operandi for the last few years, the Current offers an increasingly refined level of off-road riding, yet at a price that undercuts the bigger established bike shop brands.

A new electric motorcycle startup claims it has solved one of the oldest challenges in two-wheeled transportation: staying upright. Technology company OMOWAY has officially unveiled its new OMO X electric motorcycle and announced that the bike has now entered mass production, describing it as the world’s first mass-produced self-balancing electric motorcycle.

I’ve done it again. I took a risk and spent a stack of cash to buy what could either be the most affordable, awesome electric ATV in the world, or a dangerous pile of steel and magnets that has no business ferrying around innocent lives through off-road terrain.

Ready to find out which it is? Me too, so let’s hit it!

This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes new electric bicycles from brands like Ride1Up and Heybike, plus comeback stories from Juiced Bikes and Rad Power Bikes, a look at how the answer to high gas prices might have been parked in the corner of your garage this whole time, and more.